Spraying device with centering slide bearing



July 19, 1960 SPRAYING DEVICE WITH CENTERING SLIDE BEARING Filed D60. 23, 1957 'A.E.Q BROUGHTON i 2,945,628- 7 United States. Patent SPRAYING DEVICE WITH CENTERING SLIDE BEARING Arthur E. Broughton, Glens Falls, N.Y., assignor to Frances J. Broughton, Glens Falls, and Douglas H. Newcomb, Hudson Falls, N.Y., as trustees Filed Dec. 23, 1957, Ser. No. 704,492

7 Claims. (Cl. 239-264) This invention relates to an extremely durable easily manufactured centering support bearing designed particularly to permit rectilinear sliding movement, as well as rotary oscillatory movement.

In the construction of relatively long shower tubes, such as those extending across the entire width of a large paper-making machine, it has been a problem to provide a centering support for the shower tube and to prevent the center from sagging under the weight of the tube and the water confined there within. V

It is an object of this invention to provide a support bearing particularly adapted to prevent sagging of shower tubes, and to also permit free rectilinear sliding movement of the shower tube on its support, and in addition, to permit rotary oscillatory movement of the shower tube, if desired.

More specifically, it is an object to provide a bearing particularly designed to support a center of a long tube to prevent sagging thereof, while permitting said tube to slide back and forth during rectilinear oscillation thereof.

It is still a further object to provide a bearing of the class described, which will be extremely durable, easily and inexpensively replaceable, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture, while performing the desired functions.

These andother objects and advantages of this invention will. more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an oscillating shower for paper-making machines showing the elements in operating spraying position and embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal central sectional View, taken substantially along the line of 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line of 33 of Fig. l;

A shower for a paper-making machine is illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing, wherein a water supply tube and shower support 5 is mounted on fixed brackets 6 disposed at its end portions. A shower tube 7 of substantially larger diameter than the supply and support tube 5 is concentrically mounted around the conduit 5. The outer tube 7 is slidably mounted on the supporting supply tube 5, and has suitable packing around the ends thereof, forming a sliding connection with the conduit 5 to prevent leakage during operation of the shower. The shower tube 7 has a plurality of nozzles 8, formed in spaced. relation along the length thereof to dis charge water delivered to the tube 7, through the supporting conduit 5 with the desired spray pattern according to the particular nozzle designed. Water is supplied to the conduit 5 in any suitable manner such as by the T connector 9, which permits connection with any suitable source of water under pressure, such as may be supplied through a supply pipe 9a. The water from conduit 5 is delivered to the shower tube 7, which surrounds said conduit through suitable delivery ports 5a formed in intermediate positions of said conduit 5. The shower tube 7 may be oscillated in any desired manner on the supporting conduit 5, and in the form shown is oscillated in a rectilinear back and forth manner by a suitable oscillating mechanism, designated as an entirety by numeral 10, such as that illustrated in U.S. Letters Patent 2,597,443 granted to me May 20, 1952.

The supply conduit 5 is designed to support, in combination with the tube 7, the weight of the water confined there within and also, of course, the weight of the shower assembly. My present invention relates to the bearing asesmbly, best shown in' Fig. 3, which has a mounting collar 11, secured to the outside of the shower tube 7 by any suitable means, such as the set screw 12. In the form shown the collar has four circumferentially spaced bosses 11a formed thereon and provided with internally threaded openings through which cooperatively threaded bearing plug members 13 are inserted. These plug members are made from any suitable material, such as nylon, which will permit low friction back and forth movement between the outer tube 7 and the inner supporting conduit 5. In the form shown the area of engagement'between the inner ends of the bearing plugs 13 and the conduit 5 has a reinforced bearing sleeve 14, secured there around by any suitable means, such as by being soldered thereto, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The length of said reinforcing contact sleeve 14 is, of course, greater than the oscillation stroke produced between the supporting conduit '5 and the shower tube 7 by the oscillator 10. I have found that nylon makes an excellent material for the plug members 13, and combines long wearing durable properties with its low frictional engagement against the outer surface of the reinforcing sleeve 14, to produce a relatively simple and inexpensive bearing construction, which will be extremely durable, and which also permits quick and easy replacing of the plugs when wear does occur. It is obvious that the two upper plugs 13 will carry the weight of the shower tube 7 when filled with water, and these may be replaced by the lower plugs, which will have received little, if any, wear during the operation of the shower asesmbly. Each of the plug members 13 is in the form shown provided with a suitable stop, such as the enlarged head 13a, which is positioned to limit the inward movement of the plug and prevents the inner end of the plug from being tightened against the outer surface of the reinforcing sleeve 14, and thereby insures substantially unrestricted relative sliding movement between the two members 5 and 7. In order to prevent sagging of the conduit 5 and shower tube 7, and thus maintain a straight line concentric relation between said members, I have found that an upwardly directed bow or crown shosuld be provided in the supporting conduit 5 at the time of manufacture. If the proper amount of crown is put in said conduit 5, then the weight of the water in the entire shower asesmbly, when loaded for operation, will bring the crowned conduit 5 back into straight line position and the sag load will thus be compensated for by the crown, and the bearing plugs riding on the reinforcing sleeve 14 of the conduit 5 will support the shower tube 7 in substantially concentric relation around the supporting conduit 5 throughout its entire length.

As best shown in Fig. l, a hard surfaced bearing sleeve 5b is secured to the conduit 5 adjacent each end of the shower tube 7 to provide a wear resisting surface on which the packing gland seals at the respective ends of said tube 7 may ride. These hard surfaced sleeves 5b, as well as the center bearing sleeve 14, may have a hard chromed outer surface to produce long wearing trouble free operation of the shower assembly. In the form shown, the oscillator 10 is connected with the shower tube 7 by means of a screw clamp 7a, which is anchored to an oscillator rod 10a. This permits the tube 7 to be rotatably adjusted on the conduit to orient the lineof nozzles 8 into the desired adjusted position, and thereafter said clamp 7a will positively hold said tube and nozzles in the desired oriented position.

It will be seen that I have provided a relatively simple, yet highly efiicient, bearing construction, particularly adapted for supporting an outer tube concentrically about an inner supporting tube or conduit.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement, and proportions of the parts, Without departing from the scope of this invention, which generally stated consists of the matter set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an oscillating shower assembly, an elongated supporting conduit adapted to be mounted in fixed stationary position, a shower tube mounted for oscillation relative to said conduit and disposed in concentric spaced relation around an intermediate portion of said conduit, sealing means between the ends of said tube and said conduit, defining an annular liquid supply chamber between said conduit and said shower tube, a plurality of spray nozzles provided in said tube to discharge liquid from said chamber, a multiplicity of circumferentially spaced bearing and supporting elements mounted in said shower tube intermediate the ends thereof and extending through said tube into engagement with said supporting conduit to maintain the desired concentric spaced relation between said tube and said conduit, whereby said conduit provides support for the tube, said bearing and supporting elements being constructed of a material to provide lowfriction engagement with the engaged areas surrounding said conduit.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, and a low-friction reinforcing structure provided on the outer surface of said conduit for engagement with said bearing and supporting elements.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1, and said bearing and supporting elements consisting in plug members carried by said tube and extending inwardly therethrough with nylon engagement surfaces on the inner ends thereof.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3, and each of said plug members being constructed entirely of nylon material.

5. The structure set forth in claim 1, and a collar fixed to the outside of said tube with a plurality of threaded openings therethrough for receiving the bearing and supporting elements and positively positioning the inner ends of said elements with respect to the engaged surfaces surrounding said conduit.

6. The structure set forth in claim 5, and stop means on said bearing and supporting elements for engaging the portion of said collar surrounding the respective openings thereof to limit the inward displacement of said elements and positively position the inner ends thereof.

7. In an oscillating shower assembly, an elongated fixed guiding and supporting conduit, a shower tube concentrically mounted around said conduit for back and forth longitudinal sliding movement relative thereto, sealing means between the ends of said tube and the surrounded portions of said conduit to define an annular liquid confining chamber between said conduit and said tube, said conduit having means affording communication between the inside thereof and said chamber, means supplying liquid to the inside thereof, a plurality of spray nozzles provided in said tube to discharge liquid from said chamber, a multiplicity of circumferentially spaced bearing and supporting elements mounted in an intermediate portion of said shower tube to maintain a substantially concentric spaced relation between said conduit and said tube, said conduit being distorted into an armately bowed position with the intermediate portion thereof disposed above the ends when no load is applied thereto, the amount of distortion being sutficient to produce a straight line relation when the tube and conduit assembly is loaded with liquid for operation, the bearing and supporting elements being constructed of a material to provide low-friction engagement with the engaged areas surrounding the conduit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,300,909 Broughton Nov. 3, 1942 2,597,443 Broughton May 20, 1952 2,706,496 Bond Apr. 19, 1955 2,757,054 Van de Warker July 31, 1956 2,811,994 Dooley Nov. 5, 1957 2,816,575 Stokes Dec. 17, 1957 

